Alpha Wolf: Alpha Bites #4

by Rosko, Mandy

  Some good.

  Others, not so much.

  Strange to think his son had now spent some time here, but it hadn’t been as a guest.

  He didn’t see Anna anywhere as Jax put the vehicle in park. He’d hoped she would be here to greet him, but he squashed down any hurt feelings over not having her there.

  She was likely being prevented from waiting for him, and Dennis doubted Garret would allow her to run into his arms when she saw him. He was a prick, but he was still Anna’s older brother, and he would want to protect her.

  That was the only positive thing Dennis could think about him.

  Finally, Garret and Jax seemed to reach the end of their pissing contest as they stared heatedly at each other. Dennis didn’t even know what they were saying, but as one, they slowly turned and looked to the back seat. As though finally reminded Dennis was there watching them.

  “You boys gonna kiss and make up now?” He hadn’t been paying attention to them, but he couldn’t resist the jab.

  Garret growled and shoved his way out of the back seat. He came around to the side. Dennis watched him as the passenger door was yanked open.

  He didn’t move. Dennis allowed Garret to reach in and grab him by the back of the neck like some kind of unruly omega. It fucking hurt like a bitch in heat when he was forced back onto his feet, and his bad leg throbbed like a motherfucker when he had to stand.

  He and Garret hadn’t stood so close since they were boys, plotting how to sneak up on the girls swimming at the pond.

  Garret pointed a clawed finger into Dennis’ face. “You are not going to make a scene. You are not going to make this difficult, and you are not going to fuck this up. Stay quiet, keep your head down, and your kid sails right out of here, got that?”

  Dennis narrowed his eyes, and despite the pain from his wounds and the hand at his neck, he stood tall. “If Derek doesn't sail out of here regardless of what I do, I will make sure you never sleep well at night again.”

  “Right, like that's different from any of your other threats,” Garret growled, yanking him forward.

  He stopped suddenly when the door opened before they could even make it within twenty feet of it.

  Anna was right there, and with the light of the inside hall behind her highlighting her body and hair, she looked absolutely beautiful.

  Which was about when Dennis lost all the strength in his legs and fell over, but it was all right.

  As much as he hated looking weak in front of her, it felt pretty good to watch her rushing towards him with that worried look on her face.

  Yeah. She loved him.

  20

  Garret just about lost his mind when Anna ran to Dennis of all people, instead of to him. It was worse than he thought. Dennis had corrupted her. He tricked her and raped her, and now she thought there was something there.

  And Dennis was only using her to get back into the pack.

  Garret stood over them, watching as Anna ran her fingers across Dennis’ face, making horrified little sounds at the blood on him, asking if he was in pain while she stroked his hair.

  Garret didn't want his baby sister touching a hair on her head.

  He acted. He didn't mean to, but something inside him just refused to stand back and watch while this went on. He grabbed Anna by her arm, yanking her away from Dennis in a crushing grip, hard enough to bruise, but it didn't matter so long as she wasn't touching him anymore.

  “Garret! What the hell are you doing?”

  “We'll talk later,” he growled.

  “No, wait.”

  But Garret didn't wait. He yanked Anna behind him and continued to stare down at his most hated enemy.

  Dennis looked back up at him, showing his teeth, some of his own fur coming in through his skin.

  “You even think about shifting, and you know who pays the price for that.”

  Jax, who’d finished parking the SUV, groaned. “Garret, stop. You're making it worse.”

  Though Jax also growled down at Dennis, it still infuriated Garret that he needed to take any amount of care with the other man at all. And Anna was still trying to break away from him, to get back to Dennis so she could continue touching and stroking his cheek as if he was the one who needed comfort and attention. It killed him.

  “Garret, let me go, and you're not going to do anything to Derek.”

  “That's not for you to decide.”

  “You're keeping your promise!” Anna shouted, slapping him on the chest before looking back down at Dennis. “I went to see Derek. He's all right. A little roughed up, but he's fine.”

  “Anna, for God's sakes, don't do that in front of your brother right now,” Jax said.

  Garret didn't need the man to patronize him. He was too busy trying not to commit a murder in front of his sister.

  Meanwhile, Dennis, the absolute cunt, was looking at Garret as though he was the one who had done something terribly wrong.

  “Roughed up?”

  “He's fine, though. He insists he’s fine, and one of the omegas is with him now, protecting him.”

  “Anna, enough.”

  She looked at him, and Garret's heart cracked open just a little when he saw that glare on her face.

  “Don't tell me what to do! I'm not a child.”

  If she'd punched him in the chest with that tiny fist of hers, he would have been thrown back ten feet. He couldn't believe the strength in her voice, and he couldn't believe how much it got to him.

  If she wasn't responding to him as her alpha, then it meant her loyalties had changed. He was still bigger than her, stronger, and alpha, and there should have been some instinct to obey there. He didn't like using it on her, but if she felt nothing to his command then it could only mean one thing…

  She was loyal to Dennis now. He was the one she wanted. The one she needed, but not just as a leader.

  As a lover.

  Garret growled down at the man. “I'll kill you for what you did.”

  “Go for it. You’ll only be hurting her.”

  “Both of you shut the fuck up!” Anna yelled.

  Jax fell back a step. Things got quiet.

  Anna glared at all of them.

  “I didn't need to hear this from Dane on the way home! I don't need it now! Garret, I'm sorry. This is my mate. I love you, but Dennis is mine, and he's not as bad as we thought.”

  “He fucking kidnapped you!” Garret blew up on her. He grabbed her shoulders. He wanted to shake sense into her, make her see what a terrible piece of shit Dennis really was. “He brainwashed you and raped you! Don't defend him! You know what he did to us!”

  Anna's eyes flew wide as she stared back at Garret, as though she didn't recognize him. Meanwhile, Dennis was pushing himself to his knees, growling an irritating and menacing noise at Garret.

  “Shut the fuck up, rapist,” Garret snapped.

  He overestimated Dennis’ strength in that moment. The other man rushed to his feet and flew at him.

  Garret pushed Anna back, ignoring the little scream she released.

  Didn't matter. As Dennis grabbed Garret around the waist and tackled him to the ground, Garret spotted Jax pulling Anna to her feet.

  He roared and fought with Dennis, rolling on the grass and trying to smash his head into any stones he could get.

  “I'll kill you!”

  “Fuck you!” Dennis screamed back.

  Garret punched him in the face. Dennis got him back in the throat, which was the worst because it left him with a few terrible minutes where he couldn't breathe.

  Anna screamed at them to stop, but Garret was determined to spill more of Dennis’ filthy blood. To make him really suffer, even as others came out to watch the show. To watch as Garret lost all control and rolled around like a pup in the dirt with a horrid enemy.

  Anna ran away, which was good because he didn't want her around for this. He didn't want her around here at all if there was any immediate danger. Which there was. There almost always was when two alp
has fought.

  Dennis grabbed Garret by the throat, squeezing hard. Instead of returning the death grip, Garret did the same thing. He grabbed Dennis by his neck and held on tight instead of trying to push the man's hands off him.

  He choked for breath, but his anger was more powerful. His vision blurred, but the sight of Dennis’ red face as he struggled to keep going while being strangled was all Garret needed.

  He fed on his hatred for this man.

  Until Anna came back, but she had someone with her.

  That kid. The prisoner. Shit.

  He saw her coming. He wanted to warn her away, but Garret could only see now through a long tunnel, and he couldn't get a word out as she placed her hands on Garret's shoulders.

  “Stop fighting.”

  The kid looked at Garret with almost as much hate and anger as Dennis did, but he soon ignored that as he turned his attention to his father.

  “Dad, cut it out. Leave it. We’ll go. You need a doctor.”

  “Don't fight anymore,” Anna said, as though she was trying to warn him before she looked up at Dennis. “Dennis, that's enough. Stop it.”

  Dennis growled. Garret seriously doubted he heard her at all.

  Until she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

  “Dennis! Cut it out!”

  He did. Dennis’ hands yanked back from Garret's throat as though he was on fire.

  Garret sucked back a hard breath. He turned onto his side as Dennis fell off him, stumbled, and coughed as Garret released him as well.

  They both coughed and gasped for breath.

  The sound of his breathing was annoying as hell. Garret glared at the man when Dennis looked at him.

  “You're lucky my sister came to save you.”

  Dennis, clutching at his throat, his face returning to a normal color, glared at him. “Fuck off. Another two seconds and I would've had you. You were about ready to pass out.”

  “That's a fucking lie!”

  “Enough!” Anna snapped. She shot to her feet, glaring down at both of them. “You can measure your dicks later! Just don't kill each other!”

  Garret growled. He wasn’t sure where his little sister got the idea she could make commands at him, but for now, he would let this pass. She had been through a traumatic experience, after all.

  Garret opened his mouth, then shut it again when she went to Dennis, getting to her knees in front of him, putting her hands to his face and stroking his hair again. Dennis loosely gripped her wrist, though in a strange way. It seemed as though he was trying his best to hold onto her. To steady himself.

  Dennis closed his eyes, as though it was soothing to him to have Garret's sister so close.

  He wanted to kill the man all over again.

  The kid fell to his knees as Dennis reached for him. Garret had to look away as Dennis gripped him tight. Guilt got him at the sight of that.

  Whatever. Garret had been thinking of the guy as a kid, but he was no kid. He was a man. A young man, but he was still Dennis’ son and an accomplice in Anna’s kidnapping.

  So he didn't want to feel bad about it when Dennis held onto Derek as though he'd been scared he wouldn't see the guy ever again.

  Whatever. Fuck him. Now he probably knew how Garret felt not knowing where Anna was.

  A hand settled on Garret's shoulder. He looked up. It was Dane. The bastard had a pitying look on his face.

  Garret yanked his shoulder away. “Cut that out.”

  “I didn't say anything.” Dane raised his hands and stepped back.

  Garret pushed himself to his feet, standing strong, and when he spotted Miranda watching him from the doorway, Lois and Katie nearby, that sinking feeling returned. He hadn't wanted her to see him like that. With no control, like a wild animal. He was supposed to be teaching her control, not showing her what it would look like to lose it.

  He didn't expect Miranda to come rushing out to him, to gently put her hands onto his chest and neck, as though searching for injuries.

  “You shouldn't have seen that,” he said, touching his arm, sliding his hand to her wrist. Because her touch, while not enough to make him forget about what was going on with Dennis, did help. A lot.

  Miranda looked back at Dennis, who looped his arm around Anna and his son, holding them both, before she finally looked Garret in the eyes. “Whatever's going on, we’ll get through it.”

  Garret didn't realize how much he'd needed to hear that until she said it. He breathed in deep, his chest clenching, his body almost giving out. He wanted to lean against her and rail against the injustice of the situation, but he couldn't.

  Not yet. Maybe not ever if this turned out to be real.

  Because Dennis wasn't glaring triumphantly at Garret while Anna held him. He seemed solely focused on the fact that Anna was in his arms at all.

  He didn't want to believe this was real, but if there was even the tiniest, thinnest, barely visible sliver that it was…

  Then Garret was still going to strangle the man, but he had to worry about Laurence and Dennis’ old pack first.

  If this was real, it meant Laurence really did betray Dennis. This was no trick.

  Fuck.

  “Get up. The three of you.”

  They looked at him. Dennis and Derek glared. Anna appeared apprehensive to enter her own home. She looked worried to walk into a house where she grew up.

  Garret struggled between annoyance and sadness as he rolled his eyes.

  “I won't hurt him. Yet. But you need to get inside right now. We’re dealing with this tonight before his idiot pack decides they want to try something.”

  “What's going on?” Derek asked.

  Joey stood by the door with Miranda and the others. He watched the scene as though waiting for the worst to occur. Great. In another minute, the entire pack would be out here wondering what the hell was going on.

  Dennis barely took his eyes away from Garret when he answered. “When the time comes to get out of here, don't go home.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I'm not the alpha anymore. Laurence took over, and I won't risk him doing some shit to you to get back at me.”

  The kid blinked. Even with one of his eyes starting to swell shut, he managed to look at his father, and then to Garret, with more dread than he'd had when he'd been locked in Garret's basement. “You mean…we’re not leaving? Do we have to stay here?”

  “No.” Dennis shook his head, grabbing the young man by his shoulders. “You can go. You can go, and I'll catch up with you.”

  Derek looked at Garret, then shook his head. “No. No fucking way. I'm not leaving you here.”

  “Derek.”

  “Come with me. I'm not leaving without you.”

  “You're going.”

  “No!”

  Joey rushed down to them. Derek backed away from him, shaking his head as Joey tried to reason with and calm him.

  Dennis glared at Garret. “You gonna keep your word or what?”

  Garret crossed his arms. “I'm not going to force him to stay.”

  Dennis tilted his head, still giving Garret that suspicious stare. He was probably thinking about what Garret had said to him in the car. Whatever. He could get over it. Garret didn't feel like clarifying anything or easing the feelings of the prick who'd kidnapped and tricked his sister into thinking they were mated.

  “Look, kid, just get out of here. Your dad doesn't want you here, and neither do I.”

  “Fuck you, Garret! You just want to torture my dad because you're a sick fuck!”

  Garret growled at him. “Don't test me right now, boy.”

  Dennis grabbed Derek by the arm, yanking him back when it looked as though Derek would try to get into Garret's face. Joey stepped in Derek's way, looking back to make sure Garret wouldn't put Derek in his place.

  Every once in a while a beta male, or even an omega, got it in their heads that they could stand up in a fight against an alpha and somehow win. The bruising on Derek's face
should have been enough for him to know he should back down.

  The little idiot.

  “Derek, get out of here.”

  “And go where? Why can't you come with me? Fuck this place! We should leave!”

  “I can't go, son,” Dennis said.

  Garret snarled when the other man reached for Anna's hand, holding it tight.

  Derek watched, looking at his father, his face twisting with confusion and even a little betrayal.

  Not that Garret could fully understand, or that he wanted to understand, but he got the impression this guy had been raised by his father with a team against the world mentality. To see his old man clearly choosing danger over him, choosing someone else, was probably a kick in the teeth.

  And since Garret didn't want to feel guilty about that either, he wanted to get this over with.

  “Leave, stay, I don't give a shit. All of you move. We have shit to do, and you're all taking your good, sweet time to get going when I don't even know what his intentions are.”

  “They aren't bad intentions,” Anna insisted.

  “Tell it to me inside. Let's go.”

  He marched to the door, too pissed off to even make sure Dennis would follow.

  Miranda stepped out of his way when Garret made it to the door. He stopped a moment to look at her. He opened his mouth, but not knowing what to say, Garret shut it again real quick before moving on.

  Somehow, in rescuing his sister from Dennis, he had turned into the asshole in this situation.

  How the hell did that happen?

  21

  Anna stayed glued to Dennis as they walked through the house. She held his hand tightly, leaning against his arm. She tried to smile at Derek at one point, but from the look on his eyes, she could see he wasn't interested in making friends with her. He seemed more curious, and suspicious, as to what she was doing clinging to his father’s arm the way she was.

  Anna had spent the entire night worrying about him, wondering if he would be all right for Dennis’ sake, and for the sake of her brother’s soul, but he didn't have a clue why the sister of his enemy would be hanging onto his father like this.

  Regardless of what happened, the rest of the night was going to be really weird.